Buzz Hargrove
Buzz Hargrove Ken Lewenza | |
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Personal details | |
Born | Basil Eldon Hargrove March 8, 1944 (age 80) Bath, New Brunswick, Canada |
Political party | New Democratic Party (until 2006) |
Basil Eldon "Buzz" Hargrove
Born in
In 1998, Hargrove co-authored the book Labour of Love: The Fight to Create a More Humane Canada with Wayne Skene. Also in 1998, Brock University honoured him with a Doctorate of Laws degree. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Windsor in 2003, from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2004, from the University of New Brunswick in 2008,[2] and from Queen's University in 2009. In 2008, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.[3]
Hargrove is seen as a proponent of
Hargrove is married to Denise Small, a mediation officer for the Ontario Labour Relations Board.
1999 Ontario election
Hargrove was the leading advocate of
Tactical voting not only failed to prevent the re-election of the Tories to another majority government but also was blamed by New Democrats for the party's poor electoral performance, returning only 9
An attempt, following the 1999 Ontario election, to expel Hargrove from the Ontario NDP was defeated, but Hargrove's relationship with provincial leader Howard Hampton remained acrimonious.
Federal politics pre–2006
![]() | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (November 2007) |
Hargrove was also a long-time critic of federal NDP leader
In 2002, he planned to run for the NDP leadership, but found a "notable lack of enthusiasm" for his potential candidacy. He instead endorsed CAW lawyer Joe Comartin who placed fourth.
Hargrove was initially much more publicly supportive of McDonough's successor, Jack Layton, and the CAW unequivocally supported the federal NDP in the 2004 federal election. The NDP made significant gains in popular vote but gained only 5 seats for a total of 19, well short of its aspirations of 40 or more.
Hargrove reportedly played a role in bringing Prime Minister Paul Martin and Jack Layton together to negotiate a budget agreement to keep the federal Liberal government in power in exchange for including NDP proposals in the 2005 federal budget.
However, Hargrove sharply criticized Layton when he joined with Conservative leader Stephen Harper and Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe to bring down the Liberal government with a vote of non-confidence in November 2005. He also echoed his earlier criticism of McDonough by suggesting that Layton, too, was not sufficiently moving the party to the left. The eventual bringing down of the Liberal minority government led to a Conservative minority in the subsequent election.
2006 federal election
Tactical voting
For the 2006 Canadian federal election, Hargrove resumed his previous endorsement of tactical voting and urged CAW members (and all voters) to vote for the candidate, NDP or Liberal had the best chance of defeating the Conservative candidate.[4] During the final days of the 2006 campaign, Hargrove urged all progressive voters in Canada to vote Liberal, which he claimed was the only party that could prevent the Conservative Party of Canada from winning the election. He publicly stated that "ideology does not matter" when the reporter asked about his position.
Despite the qualification of his stated support for NDP incumbents and candidates in 40 "winnable" ridings, Hargrove's speech was widely reported by the media as an endorsement of the Liberals. When questioned by a reporter on this, Hargrove also stated that he "did not like the campaign that Jack Layton was running," criticizing Layton for "spending too much time attacking the Liberals." [5] No doubt his photo-op appearance with Paul Martin in matching CAW jackets contributed to this impression. He has been reported as saying that voters should support incumbent NDP MPs and NDP candidates in ridings "where they can defeat the Conservatives."
Break with NDP
Hargrove's strategy caused some controversy among long-time NDP activists and union members who saw him as reneging on core labour and left-wing values. Many of Hargrove's detractors argued that they were significantly affected by the Liberals measures to cut the deficit in the mid-1990s, which strained the health care system. Hargrove's controversial endorsements included 2006 federal Liberal candidates Greig Mordue, a Toyota manager, and Belinda Stronach of Magna International; Toyota maintained a non-unionized North American workforce and Mordue had successfully resisted CAW efforts to organize the Cambridge plant, while Magna was traditionally anti-union under former CEOs Frank Stronach and Donald Walker[citation needed] . In response, they carried anti-Hargrove placards at rallies and distributed buttons with the slogan: "Buzz Off. I'm voting NDP."[6]
Traditional NDP supporters were also opposed to aligning their movement with the Liberals, who were embroiled in the Sponsorship and income trust scandals.
Despite being one of Hargrove's 40 endorsed NDP candidates, Sid Ryan, president of the Ontario chapter of the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the candidate for Oshawa, blamed his loss on tactical voting. Ryan claimed Hargrove's statement confused potential NDP supporters in his riding and caused some of them to vote Liberal even though the Liberal candidate was not a viable contender. A poll in Oshawa found that the proportion of voters sampled who initially planned to vote for Ryan before switching their support to the third-place Liberal candidate late in the campaign (thinking it might help prevent a national Conservative victory) significantly exceeded the narrow margin of Ryan's loss - if the poll is accurate then the tactic did indeed result in Tory Colin Carrie's election.
Some pointed out that Hargrove's call for strategic voting has also caused financial harm to the NDP under Canada's system of
Controversy
On January 18, 2006, Hargrove made a widely criticized speech at a Liberal rally in Ontario where he urged voters in Quebec to vote for the Bloc Québécois in preference to the Conservatives, calling Conservative leader Stephen Harper's view of Canada "a separatist view" and recommending "anything to stop the Tories". The statements forced Liberal leader Paul Martin to defend Harper later in the day by saying "I have profound differences with Mr. Harper, but I have never questioned his patriotism". Afterwards, many commentators viewed Hargrove as having been an active hindrance to the gaffe-filled Liberal campaign.[7]
Hargrove also attacked the principles of Albertans, and Stephen Harper in particular (though Harper was actually born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, moving to Alberta only in his early twenties),[8][9] saying "His sense, is about Alberta, where the wealth in Alberta, everyone recognizes, is much greater than it is anywhere in Canada. The principles that (Harper's) brought up with, and believes in coming out of there, don't sit well with the rest of Canada."
Results
Near the end of the 2006 campaign, sensing the momentum that would result in a
The NDP increased their caucus to 29 seats, a significant gain over the 2004 election. Hargrove afterwards argued that strategic voting had prevented the Conservatives from forming a majority government and suggested that the three main opposition parties could form a coalition to get several key pieces of legislation passed.
Suspension from the NDP
Following the election, on February 11, 2006, the provincial executive body of the Ontario NDP voted to suspend Hargrove's NDP membership and effectively expel him from the party for supporting the Liberals. This move also automatically suspended his membership in the federal party; the NDP, unlike other major Canadian parties, is integrated at the federal and provincial/territorial levels. Hargrove stated he was "shocked and surprised" by this decision, but he would not apologize for his actions during the 2006 election nor would he commit not to endorse candidates for other parties in the future.[10] On February 23, 2006, Hargrove also confirmed that he would not appeal the Ontario NDP executive body's decision.[11]
The CAW retaliated against the NDP for Hargrove's suspension by severing all union ties with the Party, a move formalized at the CAW's 2006 convention.[12]
2006 CAW leadership race
On December 9, 2005, Hargrove confirmed that he would seek a sixth and final three-year term as CAW President at the union's convention in Vancouver, British Columbia, in August, 2006.[13] This would be the final term that Hargrove would be eligible to serve under the CAW constitution, which provides for mandatory retirement at age 65. Hargrove was to be 62 years old at the time of the upcoming CAW convention.
On February 8, 2006, Maclean's reported rumours that, for the first time, Hargrove may face an opposing candidate for the CAW presidency.[14] CAW Local 1256 chair and Oakville and District Labour Council President Willie Lambert was subsequently confirmed as an opposition candidate.[15] In 1999, Lambert won the support of over 40% of voting delegates at that year's Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) convention, in an unsuccessful challenge to Wayne Samuelson for the OFL presidency.[16]
On February 13, 2006, the CAW's former chief
On May 22, 2006, auto parts workers at
On June 22, 2006, the executive committee of CAW Local 1256, Lambert's home local, adopted a motion to reconsider its support for Lambert's campaign and lend support instead to Hargrove. Lambert alleges that the local executive took this action at the prompting of Hargrove's executive assistant, Hemi Mitic, who allegedly threatened to dissolve Local 1256 and merge it into the larger CAW Local 707. Both Mitic and the local union president, James MacKenzie, deny this allegation.[22][23] The motion to reconsider support for Lambert was overwhelmingly defeated by the general membership of Local 1256 on July 9, 2006, confirming that Local 1256 continued to support Lambert.[24]
The CAW's Constitutional Convention, at which the leadership election was scheduled to occur, took place Tuesday, August 15 through Friday, August 18 at the
Basking in the glow of his "victory", Hargrove concluded his acceptance speech by proposing to his long-time girlfriend Denise Small. Small accepted.[27] The two were subsequently married at a small, private ceremony in Toronto on December 22, 2007.[28]
Hargorve criticized the Ontario legislature when all three parties (Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, and NDP) passed emergency back-to-work legislation, after a wildcat strike by the Toronto Transit Commission union.[7]
2007 Ontario election
In the 2007 Ontario provincial election the CAW as a union again endorsed strategic voting. Hargrove, however, again went further to slam both the NDP and its leader, Howard Hampton. He told the editorial board of the Toronto Star that the NDP had "lost complete touch" with the people of Ontario and that he saw "absolutely no reason to vote NDP." Hargrove then went on to lavish praise on the Ontario Liberals, claiming the party had been "more left than the NDP over the last four years" and predicting left-leaning voters would vote Liberal in the upcoming election. The Ontario Liberal Party ultimately won a second consecutive majority government.
Books and films
- Buzz Hargrove is featured in the 1985 . It follows the 1984 contract negotiations with General Motors that saw the CAW's birth, and split with the UAW.
- Buzz Hargrove is the author of the books "Labour of Love" (1998) and "Laying It On The Line" (2009).
Currently
On February 27, 2009, Buzz Hargrove replaced Eric Lindros as the NHLPA ombudsman on an interim basis. He would later resign from the position on November 8, 2009.[29]
References
- ^ "The New Buzz in MBA Class". National Post. Archived from the original on 2020-07-27. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
- ^ "UNB TO CONFER HONORARY DEGREE UPON BASIL (BUZZ) HARGROVE".
- ^ "Governor General Announces New Appointments to the Order of Canada". Archived from the original on 2009-09-08.
- ^ "Vote Liberal where NDP can't win: CAW boss". CBC. December 4, 2005. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
- ^ "The NDP - Party Leader Biography". Canadian-Politics.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ^ a b "How Hargrove upset labour, NDP". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2007-03-24. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
- ^ a b "This is why we hate unions". Archived from the original on 2013-01-29. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
- ^ "Hargrove hits Harper as quasi-separatist". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
- ^ "Hargrove out of touch and out to lunch". The Calgary Sun.
- ^ "NDP gives Buzz the boot". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
- ^ "Hargrove won't try to rejoin the NDP". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
- ^ "Auto workers union severs ties with NDP". Toronto Star - Terri Theodore. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2006-08-19.
- ^ Toronto Star https://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar%2FLayout%2FArticle_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1134082211651. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "The Buzz fracture". Maclean's. Archived from the original on 2006-05-23. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
- ^ "Hargrove faces challenge". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
- ^ "OFL delegates sound warning to leadership". New Labour Press. Archived from the original on 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
- ^ "Raising difficult questions for the Left". rabble.ca. Archived from the original on 2006-02-23. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
- ^ "Concessions in Oshawa: The End of an Era?". Socialist Project - the bullet. 22 March 2006. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
- ^ "Oshawa wildcat critical for GM". Toronto Star - Tony Van Alphen (May 24, 2006). Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
- ^ "Open Letter to Buzz Hargrove (pdf)" (PDF). Willie Lambert (May 22, 2006). Retrieved 2006-07-28.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "AGS Workers Back on the Job". Durham Region News (May 25, 2006). Retrieved 2006-07-28. [dead link]
- ^ "Willie's local union under threat for supporting him (pdf)" (PDF). Willie Lambert (July 31, 2006). Retrieved 2006-08-08.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "CAW leadership candidate Willie Lambert speaks with Fightback". Fightback – Julian Benson (August 5, 2006). Archived from the original on August 11, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-08.
- ^ "Letter to supporters regarding defeat of motion to reconsider (pdf)" (PDF). Willie Lambert (July 12, 2006). Retrieved 2006-08-08.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "CAW Constitutional Convention in Vancouver, August 15 to 18 (press release)". CAW. Archived from the original on 2006-08-27. Retrieved 2006-08-17.
- ^ "Challenger Withdraws From Race to Become CAW President (press release)". CAW. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2006-08-17.
- ^ "Buzz pops the question". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2006-08-18.
- ^ "The buzz on Buzz". National Post - Shinan Govani, December 24, 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-04.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Buzz Hargrove resigns as interim Ombudsman for NHLPA". Archived from the original on 2014-05-22. Retrieved 2017-12-06.